July 31, 2003
AQMD CALLS ON STATE, FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS TO STEP UP SMOG-FIGHTING EFFORTS
Southland air quality officials today challenged the state and federal
government to strongly consider adopting more than 30 new air pollution control
measures to boost the region’s chances of achieving cleaner air by the legally
mandated deadline of 2010.
“The state and federal government have sole authority over pollution sources
responsible for 80 percent of the ozone-forming emissions in the Southland,”
said Barry Wallerstein, executive officer for the South Coast Air Quality
Management District.
“In order to get clean air in Southern California, the California Air
Resources Board and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will have to speed
up their efforts to reduce emissions from trains, planes, ships, cars, trucks
and other sources that AQMD does not have the authority to regulate.”
Wallerstein’s remarks at a news briefing today anticipated the final public
hearing tomorrow (Aug. 1) on AQMD’s 2003 Air Quality Management Plan, the
blueprint for achieving the current federal air quality health standards by
2010.
If approved by AQMD’s Governing Board, the plan will outline some two dozen
control measures for AQMD to adopt, representing more than the agency’s fair
share of emission reductions. However, about 80 percent of the total emissions
reductions needed to achieve health standards are in a so-called “black box,”
meaning that specific clean air technologies and control measures– primarily
under state and federal jurisdiction – have not been identified to achieve the
reductions.
Wallerstein today outlined 12 new and enhanced control measures and 21
additional concepts that CARB and EPA should strongly consider adopting to
shrink the “black box” and accelerate the drive to clean air. The 12 control
measures would require:
- Mandatory replacement of emissions control equipment for passenger
vehicles at periodic intervals, such as every 100,000 miles;
- Use of remote sensing to identify high-emitting vehicles and enhance
the state’s Smog Check program starting in 2005;
- Auto manufacturers to help speed up the retirement and scrapping of
older, highly polluting vehicles;
- Cleaner gasoline with lower sulfur and smog-forming ingredients;
- Retrofitting heavy-duty trucks and buses with catalysts to reduce
smog-forming oxides of nitrogen;
- Replacement of older, highly polluting, two-stroke recreational
marine engines with cleaner four-stroke engines through a buy-back program;
- Replacement of existing diesel-powered off-road construction and
industrial engines with those meeting new emission standards;
- Strengthening existing regulations so that up to 60 percent of
residential lawn and garden equipment would be zero-polluting electric models;
- Consumer products with ultra-low amounts of volatile organic
compounds, which contribute to ozone formation;
- Ships to turn off highly polluting auxiliary diesel engines while in
port and instead plug into shore electrical power;
- More stringent emission standards for aircraft;
- Clean-fueled and low-emission engines for switcher and short-haul
locomotives; and
- Two dozen additional concepts to reduce emissions from on- and
off-road vehicles and consumer products.
The 12 control measures could reduce smog-forming volatile organic compounds
by 142 to 172 tons per day, and oxides of nitrogen by 127 tons per day.
Together, that would eliminate at least 60 percent of emission reductions in the
“black box.”
Wallerstein also called on the state Air Resources Board to formally support
actions to increase AQMD’s regulatory authority. AQMD sought increased
authority over ports, locomotives and vehicles this year through state
legislation, but the measure was stymied by port, shipping and railroad
lobbyists. AB 1063, introduced by Assembly Member Marco Firebaugh (D- E. Los
Angeles), would have granted AQMD authority to require retrofit controls on on-
and off-road vehicles, if CARB did not do so by 2007. It also would have
granted AQMD authority to charge a mitigation fee for air pollution from ports,
marine terminals, shipping companies and railroads, if EPA failed to meet
emission reduction targets for those sources by 2006. Fees collected would be
used to reduce emissions from those sources.
Today’s briefing came during the worst smog season in seven years. There
already have been 44 days this year of unhealthful air quality, compared to 49
for all of last year and 36 in 2001. In addition, the Southland experienced its
first Stage 1 smog episode this summer since 1998.
AQMD is the air pollution control agency for Orange County and major portions
of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
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